Australian Department of Defense, Forty years ago this coming weekend, the Australian and United States governments commissioned one of the world’s most powerful naval communication facilities in a remote region of Western Australia. Calls to the Deep celebrates the station and the people behind it.
Naval Communications Station Harold E. Holt’s main role is to provide very low frequency communication to Australian and United States submarines in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific.
The station started as a US facility and became a joint facility in the mid-1970s before becoming fully Australian-operated in the mid-1990s. Calls to the Deep tells the story of the creation and operation of what is now arguably the best facility of its kind in the world.
At the centre of the now little-known station is a two million-watt transmitter surrounded by massive steel towers each taller than the Eiffel Tower, with the middle tower taller than the Empire State Building.
As well as recognising the technological and engineering feats that underpin the station, Calls to the Deep focuses on the success of the community that grew and flourished on the North West Cape. It was here that Australians and Americans lived and worked side-by-side, creating a unique and harmonious community.
While Australian personnel are now responsible for station operations, it remains jointly funded by both the Australian and United States governments and continues to provide vital communication as the naval forces of both countries respond to changing global threats.
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